MAY 3--Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge,
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division and Marcos
Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District
of Florida, announced today that a federal jury convicted defendants,
Doris Mangeri Salazar and Ivan Lopez Vanegas of conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United
States Code, Section 846. Salazar and Vanegas face a minimum mandatory
sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and statutory maximum of
life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2005.

The testimony at trial revealed that Salazar acted as a
broker in a 2,000-kilogram drug transaction between Colombian drug traffickers
and Nayef Bin Sultan Bin Fawwaz al-Shaalan. Al Shaalan is a Prince in
the Saudi Arabian royal family but is not in direct accession to the
throne. In early to mid-1998, one of the Colombian drug traffickers was
contacted by co-defendant Ivan Lopez Vanegas regarding brokering a drug
deal between Colombian drug traffickers, who were in need of ways in
which to transport cocaine, and Al-Shaalan, who had the ability to transport
large quantities of cocaine to any place in the world under the cover
of diplomatic immunity.

After the initial discussion, many meetings were held in Miami, as well as Marbella,
Spain; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Aruba between the co-conspirators to discuss,
negotiate and coordinate the drug smuggling venture. In September 1998, in Marbella,
Spain, Al-Shaalan was introduced by Salazar to the Colombian drug traffickers.
After this meeting, one of the co-conspirators traveled to Geneva, Switzerland,
along with co-defendant Jose Maria Clemente and Al-Shaalan to tour a Swiss financial
institution specializing in Islamic banking and owned by Al-Shaalan.

In December 1998, in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, all four defendants and the Colombian drug traffickers,
were taken by Al-Shaalan to an encampment
in the desert. There the defendants and the co-conspirators discussed
the details of a drug transportation scheme. Specifically, the Colombian
drug traffickers agreed to “front” all of the cocaine and
deliver the cocaine to Al-Shaalan in Caracas, Venezuela. Al-Shaalan would
then transport the cocaine to Paris, France, aboard his private jet.
Once in Paris, the Colombian drug traffickers would regain possession
of the cocaine. After sale of the cocaine, valued at over $30 million
dollars, Al-Shaalan would take half of the profits in United States currency
as payment for the transportation of the cocaine. Lopez Vanegas and Salazar
were to be paid a brokerage fee.

In February 1999, a meeting
was held in Aruba that all defendants attended as well as one of the
Colombian drug traffickers. During the meeting,
plans were finalized to deliver in May 1999, approximately 2,000 kilograms
of cocaine to Al-Shaalan’s jet in Caracas, Venezuela, so that it
could be flown to Paris. In May 1999, the Colombian drug traffickers
purchased the 2,000 kilograms of cocaine which were transported to a
warehouse in Venezuela. One of the drug traffickers met with Al-Shaalan
in Caracas to coordinate the delivery of the cocaine to Al-Shaalan’s
jet. After the cocaine was loaded into the jet, it took off to Paris,
France, via Saudi Arabia. On May 16, 1999, Al-Shaalan’s jet arrived
at the Bourget airport in Paris. Once in Paris, the cocaine was off-loaded
and taken to a “stash house” in a suburb of Paris, where
it was counted and stored for distribution. Lopez Vanegas coordinated
the sale of some of the cocaine to buyers in Italy and Spain. While being
transported to Spain, Spanish authorities seized approximately 190 kilograms.
On July 5, 1999, French authorities seized an additional 804 kilograms
of cocaine from the Paris stash house. After these seizures, a dispute
arose between the co-conspirators as to whom was responsible for law
enforcement’s seizure of the cocaine and loss of profits resulting
from the seizures. Before the dispute could be resolved, however, the
Colombian drug traffickers were arrested in early 2000 and began cooperating
with the United States government. Thereafter, there were numerous recorded
telephone conversations and/or meetings with Vanegas.

On July 17, 2002, Salazar
was arrested by DEA Miami Field Division agents at her Coral Gables,
Florida residence. Later that day, two search
warrants were executed on her residence and two safes on the premises
were among the items searched. From the locked safes, DEA agents seized
photographs of all the defendants in the desert, which corroborated the
testimony given by a cooperating witness. The government noted that photographs
found in Salazar’s safe were the same photographs provided to the
government by the cooperating witnesses. DEA agents also seized two large
portraits of Al-Shaalan and five of her passports - four Colombian and
one from the United States - evidencing Salazar’s trips to Spain,
Saudi Arabia and Aruba.

“This verdict is a tribute to the efforts of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the United States Attorney’s Office, and our international
partners, particularly the French and Swiss authorities. We look forward
to the day when the other defendants including Prince Nayef Bin Sultan
Bin Fawwaz al-Shaalan appear in this courthouse to face the charges that
are pending” said Mark R. Trouville.

Mr. Jiménez stated, “In this case, the drug traffickers
used powerful people to create a facade of legitimacy to help them conceal
their drug trafficking activities. We will do everything in our power
to aggressively dismantle these organizations who deal in narcotics distribution
world-wide.” Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts
of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
and the Internal Revenue Service.